NCAA Considering Adding Rule To Cap Eligibility At Five Years

The NCAA is considering adding a five-year eligibility rule. 

The AP spoke with an anonymous source who was familiar with the NCAA’s rule-changing process. They said that the matter was scheduled for review and discussion by the Division I cabinet during the week of April 13. 

This rule change would start a player’s clock for eligibility upon graduation from high school. The goal of these rule changes is to limit how long an athlete can play at the college level. There will be a list of exceptions, but injuries will not be among them. Previous injury exceptions that are already in place that don’t violate this new rule would stay. 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding that the NCAA adopt rules limiting college athletes to five years and one transfer. Many college sports fans, including Trump, believe that excess transfers and eligibility have ruined parity in college sports. The executive order leaves the specifics to the NCAA, but they will be compliant as long as they implement a rule change that reflects it. 

Before NCAA v. Alston, which granted college athletes the right to make money off their name, image and likeness (NIL), most athletes wouldn’t consider staying at the college level for that long. Athletes would need to keep their bodies in peak form while also not receiving any payment. Even athletes on full-ride scholarships would eventually need to find a way to earn actual money. 

Some players, like Chad Baker-Mazara, abused the system. He graduated from Colonia High School in 2019 but was still playing college basketball until this season. He took advantage of eligibility rules by playing at an academy right after high school and going to junior college.